Page 22 - holmag Special Music Edition

House of Lafrance Magazine | Special Music Edition
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ERYKAH
OFFICER
Erykah Officer had some big shoes to fill. After all, the spelling of her name was inspired by Erykah Badu,
the queen of Neo-soul. This became Erykah’s favorite genre, thanks to her father’s daily car jams on the way to school. However, she doesn’t want to put a label on her music because she is full of vocal creativity. She would consider the majority of her music to have an R&B
sound with a modern Neo-soul twist, influenced by musical legends like Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Musiq Soul Child, Kem, and Sade.
Discovering her voice through the church, her grandmother
made sure to get her involved in the choir at a very young age.
Her personality hasn’t changed much since her childhood, still considering herself to be goofy, bubbly, outgoing, and slightly awkward, nowhere near an average American girl. Being a part
of musical groups eventually led her to perform solo at local
fairs, pageants, and festivals. She developed a passion for the
arts and began to get more involved in theatre. She performed
in plays throughout her city as a triple threat (actress, singer, and dancer). She remained a part of theatre and choral production from elementary school through her senior year of high school.
When she decided to go to college, she continued to pursue her musical career as a hobby. She focused on acquiring a bachelor’s degree. She battled with finding her ‘sound’ throughout her collegiate years, as she felt pressured by her environment and unsure. She truly feels she is finally discovering her true self and is coming to terms with the fact that her time is, and has always been, now. She is looking forward to releasing the most authentic and naked form of her music. She plans to debut her first EP within the next few months, releasing singles paired with enhanced visuals leading to that epic moment that the EP is released. She wants to take it back to when music told a story and touched peoples’ spirits. She looks forward to making somebody feel and heal through her vocal frequencies.
Interviewed by Ryan Daoust